Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price have announced their support for a high-speed rail route between Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth.

"With Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth being two of the largest and fastest growing metropolitan areas in America, we are both faced with many of the same challenges: Growing traffic congestion, ever-increasing commutes and limited public transportation dollars from the state. It is imperative that we give our residents an innovative alternative. If successful, Houstonians will have a reliable, private alternative that will help alleviate traffic congestion and drastically reduce travel times," said Mayor Parker. "Our residents have historically relied on traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth by air or car, but I am excited to support a clean, safe and fast commute for millions of our residents who frequently visit Dallas-Fort Worth for family, friends and business."

Nearly 50,000 Texans travel back and forth between Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth more than once a week on I-45 each day. Traveling between the two cities currently takes approximately four hours and, according to Texas Department of Transportation, this commute is expected to increase by 75 percent to close to seven hours by 2035.

In addition to easing congestion between Houston and Dallas, the high-speed rail will also have an impact on the environment by cutting harmful emissions. The bullet train will expend a fraction of the carbon dioxide produced by current transportation, reducing Texans' carbon footprint and helping travelers act as better stewards of our environment.

As Texas Central Railway continues its work on the privately-funded, high-speed rail route between Houston and Dallas, an effort has also been set in motion to extend high-speed rail service from Dallas through Arlington and into Fort Worth. The Texas Transportation Commission appointed members of the North Texas High Speed Rail Commission to find innovative ways to build a high-speed rail system between Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas.

"Thanks to the leadership of our friends at Texas Central Railway, my fellow mayors, and our state and federal partners, we have a remarkable opportunity to change the way we travel and connect our cities," Mayor Price said. "We're excited about this concept, and we look forward to working closely with our partners to make it a reality for our citizens and businesses."